Speeches and writings of Indians living in all parts of the North American continent, between the sixteenth and 20th century speak with courtesy and respect of the land, of animals, of the objects which made up the territory in which they lived. They saw no virtue in imposing their will over the environment: private acquisition, almost without exception, was to them a way of poverty, not to riches. The meaning of their life was defined through their relationships with each other and their homelands -- all of which was given depth and resonance by memory......"How can the spirit of the earth like the White man? When we burn grass for grasshoppers, we don't ruin things. We shake down acorns and pinenuts. But the White people plow up the ground, pull down the trees, kill everything...they blast rocks and scatter them on the ground...Everywhere the White man has touched it, it is sore."

It is well understood that the only decent future for us who live in America now is through a rediscovery of our environment. We need to establish a right relationship with the land and its resources, otherwise, the destruction of the Indian will be followed by the destruction of nature; and in the destruction of nature will follow the destruction of ourselves.

The Indians, in a sense, knew this all along. For many generations they learned how to live in America, in a state of balance; or as a Christian would say, in a state of grace. Perhaps now, after hundreds of years of ignoring their wisdom, we may learn from the Indians.

T.C. McLuhan

Sing the song of the wolf, and I will hear my warrior people,
Telling of things old and good and from far off,
I mourn for the wolves and warriors that are gone from my world.
That is my song of long ago, tonight,
Look deep into the eyes of the wolf
And you will understand everything better.
Learn about the wolf. Love the wolf. Stay close to the wolf.
Let the wolf be your teacher. He will never fail you.
The wolf's eyes have the power to speak a great language
And tell of great stories.
And we still know what you do not.